Pay Attention This Afternoon, Leah Smith in “Slower” Heats of 1500

Leah Smith will be swimming in the penultimate heat of the 1500 free, rather than the "faster" heat that will swim with finals tonight. Tune in at 4:30 pm ET. Current photo via Mike Lewis/Ola Vista Photography

True swimming fans would never think to miss a session of the 2017 U.S. National Championships and World Championship Trials in Indy this weekend, but you especially shouldn’t skip out on distance this afternoon. Rio Olympian and our favorite to win the event (given Katie Ledecky‘sscratch) Leah Smithwill be swimming in the afternoon heats of the 1500 freestyle, scheduled to start at 4:30 pm ET.

Smith has not swam the 1500 freestyle LCM since Summer Nationals in 2014, where she went a 16:27.37. She is seeded according to her 1650 yards time, an NCAA silver-medal 15:28.89.

Here are a few important times to keep in mind as Smith is swimming this afternoon:

Smith has already qualified for the team in the 200 free, 400 free, 800 free, 400 IM, and 4×200 free relay. She is currently tied with Katie Ledeckyand Caeleb Dressel for the tightest Worlds schedule, with five events.

About Hannah Hecht

Hannah Hecht grew up in Kansas and spent most of her childhood trying to convince coaches to let her swim backstroke in freestyle sets. She took her passion to Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa and swam at NAIA Nationals all four years. After graduating in 2015, she moved to …